It may be surprising to learn how much is spent on food throughout the month. Using the printable chart: https://iastate.app.box.com/s/1ko6w21o0feebuza9jsapdrt0s202qjr, ask each family member in the household to track their food expenses. This includes spending money on food anywhere, including the coffee shop, gas station or vending machine. At the end of the month, add up the totals. Does anything surprise you? Do you eat out more than you expected? Can you find less expensive places to eat out? Can you bring more food from home for lunches? Are there easy ways to save money? 

Even one small change each month will add up to big savings! Add it up: The average cost of a large, regular coffee is $2.70. If you bought a cup 5 days a week for an entire year, you would have spent $700 on coffee alone!